This is the fourth part in the Character Prioritization Series. Epcot is here. Hollywood Studios is here. And Magic Kingdom here.

The Magic Kingdom edition provides a little color about what you’re looking at below as well if you haven’t read over the previous articles. Basically, the point of this article is to identify where the various characters are located and create a plan to minimize waits as much as possible. While even the “lowest priority” characters will have afternoon waits of 10 to 15 minutes, it simply isn’t possible to meet every character first thing in the morning when waits will generally be shortest. Because of that, we need to identify the characters that will have the longest afternoon waits and visit them first. Then we can move on to the “less popular” characters later in the morning or whenever we can expect their waits to be shortest.

Overall Strategy: Mickey and Minnie at the Adventurers Outpost in Discovery Island is the top priority. They also offer FastPass+. Unlike the other three major theme parks, there really aren’t any characters that must be done in the morning or you’re doomed to find a 40+ minute wait. At Magic Kingdom, we have Rapunzel, Merida, Tinker Bell, and Ariel, each of which can see 45+ minute waits virtually from Park open. At Epcot, each of the princesses in World Showcase have waits of 40 to 60 minutes when you include the lengthy breaks. At the Studios, we have the Toy Story characters, Sofia the First, and Phineas/Ferb. At Animal Kingdom, we’ll still want to prioritize Mickey and Minnie, but it isn’t the end of the world if we don’t get over there in the early morning. Other than that, there are fewer character meet and greets in Animal Kingdom than the other major theme parks and no characters see absurd wait times. Let’s have a look at what we’re dealing with.

Minnie and Minnie – Safari Gear, Christmas Sweaters from Mid-November through First Week in January

Priority: Highest

Location:

Adventurers Outpost is located in the old Beastly Bazaar building in Discovery Island near the entrance to Asia.

This is the third part in the character prioritization series. Check out the Magic Kingdom edition here, Hollywood Studios here and Animal Kingdom here. The Magic Kingdom edition provides a little color about what you’re looking at below as well if you haven’t read over the previous articles. Basically, the point of this article is to identify where the various characters are located and create a plan to minimize waits as much as possible. While even the “lowest priority” characters will have afternoon waits of 10 to 15 minutes, it simply isn’t possible to meet every character in the morning when waits will generally be shortest. Because of that, we need to identify the characters that will have the longest afternoon waits and visit them first. Then we can move on to the “less popular” characters later in the morning or whenever we can expect their waits to be shortest.

Overall Strategy: The character priorities in Epcot are all found in World Showcase. Aladdin/Jasmine, Belle, and Snow White see the longest waits at Epcot. Character Spot is no longer a high priority now that it has doubled capacity, the characters are no longer visible through the window (reducing the number of kids that see Mickey and insist on getting in line), and the number of characters has been reduced to three (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy). If you’d like to meet the Princesses, be prepared to start walking toward World Showcase at 1o:30am.

Let’s take a look at what we’re dealing with.

Aladdin and Jasmine – Classic Outfits

Priority: Highest

Location:

Aladdin and Jasmine meet along the World Showcase promenade across from the Morocco Pavilion. If you’re walking from France, you’ll see them on the left after you pass most of the Morocco Pavilion.

This is the second part in the character prioritization series. Check out the Magic Kingdom edition here. It provides a little color about what you’re looking at below as well. Basically, the point of this article is to identify where the various characters are located and create a plan to minimize waits as much as possible. While even the “lowest priority” characters will have afternoon waits of 10 to 15 minutes, it simply isn’t possible to meet every character first thing in the morning when waits will generally be shortest. Because of that, we need to identify the characters that will have the longest afternoon waits and visit them first. Then we can move on to the “less popular” characters later in the morning or whenever we can expect their waits to be shortest.

Luckily, it’s much easier to meet the characters in the Studios because there are fewer of them, Let’s have a look at who we can expect to see:

Overall Strategy: The three key character meets are Buzz Lightyear/Woody, Sofia the First, and Phineas/Ferb. If all three are priorities, you’ll want to start with Buzz/Woody and then move on to either Sofia or Phineas/Ferb. You can also minimize waits at Sofia or Phineas/Ferb by getting in line about ten minutes before they’re scheduled to return after a a lengthy break. I like to save the Animation Courtyard/Building characters for the early evening. If you head over to Sorcerer Mickey, The Incredibles, Wreck It Ralph/Vanellope, and the Disney Jr. characters after 5pm, you should find much shorter lines than the afternoon.

Process: Get in line and wait your turn. There are a few props inside that make good photo ops. If you arrive in the late morning or afternoon, you may need to line up outside first. Luckily, the interior portion of the queue is air-conditioned. Usually both Woody and Buzz meet alongside a statue of Hamm.

Interaction: Good. Woody in particular has a lot of fun with guests.

Wait Times: The Toy Story Friends ordinarily see the longest wait times of any Studios characters. It’s one of only a few Meet and Greets that has a posted wait time outside:

12/9/13 Update: Characters and their locations updated along with meet times and a few changes to prioritization. Added links to verify meet times.

There are a lot of wild cards in the world of Walt Disney World characters. As you read over the following, you’ll probably find yourself saying, “NO THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS THERE” and you may very well be right. Lines can jump in length with just a few extra groups of people. A group of ten people taking pictures in every conceivable configuration can push a wait for Daisy Duck that would ordinarily be 5 or 10 minutes to 15 or 20 minutes. By some stroke of fortune, someone has inevitably arrived at Merida to find only a few people in line smack dab in the middle of the afternoon. “Anything is possible.” By having the following knowledge, you’ll be able to prepare the best possible plan and truly roll with the punches as Rapunzel throws them at you. You’ll know which characters have the longest waits, where they meet guests, when they meet, which characters are available elsewhere with much shorter (or longer) waits, what the characters are wearing, and much more.

Magic Kingdom is where you’ll find the largest assortment of characters in Walt Disney World. It’s also the only location to meet several characters, including Rapunzel, Merida, and Tinker Bell. Let’s take a look at who we can expect to find. I’ve ordered them from “highest priority” to “lowest priority” based on expected wait times later in the day. The reality is that most characters will have the shortest lines in the early morning and the longest lines in the afternoon and early evening. Unfortunately, it’s only possible to visit one or two characters first thing in the morning. We’ll want to visit the characters with the longest afternoon waits first thing in the morning or whenever else is best. In some cases, the standby waits can hit 60 or more minutes in the afternoon.

Belle at Enchanted Tales with Belle – Yellow Gown

Priority: Highest

FastPass+: This is a FastPass+-enabled attraction and it makes a lot of sense to use one of your experiences here. The attraction takes about 25 minutes to complete, even without an initial wait, and standby waits are 25 to 50 minutes most of the day.

Location:

Enchanted Tales is located inside Maurice’s cottage in New Fantasyland. As you enter New Fantasyland, you’ll see it on the far left before you arrive at Be Our Guest Restaurant or Gaston’s Tavern.